This invention relates to a fax mail apparatus and store-and-forward method therefor. More particularly, the invention relates to a fax mail apparatus storing fax mail information sent from a facsimile apparatus (fax apparatus) and forwarding the mail information to a designated destination, and store-and-forward method therefor.
A fax mail store-and-forward method has been proposed and put into practical use in the prior art. According to the fax mail store-and-forward method, a facsimile mail apparatus (fax mail apparatus) is connected to an exchange, a document is transmitted from a facsimile machine (fax machine) to the fax mail apparatus with a destination designated, and the document (mail information) is once stored in the fax mail apparatus, and then transmitted to individual destination or a plurality of destinations (in the case of broadcasting). FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing the construction of the communication system with such fax mail store-and-forward feature, and FIG. 18 is a diagram for describing the procedure of mail transmission.
In FIG. 17, there are shown an exchange such as a private branch exchange (PBX) 1, a fax mail apparatus 2 connected to the PBX, a originating fax machine 3 used by an originator, and destination fax machines 4a-4n used by receiving individuals (hereinafter referred to as "receivers").
When the originator 3 desires to transmit a document to the receiver 4a, he or she dials the telephone number of the fax mail apparatus 2, whereupon the PBX 1 connects the originator 3 and the fax mail apparatus 2. When the circuit has been connected, the fax mail apparatus 2 issues audio guidance so that the originator may sequentially enter a subscriber ID, a password, a function code, and a destination number or destination-list number. Functions of the fax mail apparatus include ordinary transmission, express transmission, confidential transmission, and time-specified transmission for each of which individual and broadcast transmissions are provided.
In accordance with the audio guidance, the originator sequentially enters the subscriber ID and the password that have been designated for him or her, a function code indicating the individual or broadcast transmission, and finally a number depending on the destination 4a.
The fax mail apparatus 2 checks to determine whether the entered subscriber ID and password agree with those registered. If agreement is not found, the fax mail apparatus 2 regards this as meaning that the originator is illegal and disconnects the circuit. If agreement is found, however, the fax mail apparatus 2 instructs the originator 3 to transmit the document and then temporarily stores the document (the fax mail information) in an internal memory once the document has been transmitted from the originator. Refer to A in FIGS. 17 and 18. Then, the fax mail apparatus 2 automatically transmits the mail information to the receiver 4a (see B in FIGS. 17 and 18). When the transmission has been completed, the fax mail apparatus 2 notifies the fax machine 3 of the originator of the delivery result by means of a printed message (see C in FIGS. 17 and 18).
In the case of broadcast transmission, the fax mail apparatus 2 temporarily stores the fax mail information in the internal memory once the fax mail information has been transmitted from the originator, and automatically broadcasts the mail information to multiple receivers according to the destination list which has been separately entered. When the broadcast transmission has been completed, the fax mail apparatus 2 notifies the fax machine 3 of the originator of the delivery result by means of a printed message.
In the case of time-specified transmission, the fax mail apparatus 2 temporarily stores the fax mail information in the internal memory once the fax mail information has been transmitted from the originator, and automatically transmits the mail information to the destination at the time of day which has been separately entered.
In the case of confidential transmission, the fax mail apparatus 2 stores the mail information in the memory, and notifies the destination of the fact that it has received fax mail information in confidential. Then, after the user at the destination enters a predetermined ID number, the fax mail apparatus 2 transmits the fax mail information stored in the memory to the fax machine at the destination.
FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing the construction of the communication system with the fax mail function when two fax mail apparatuses are connected by a private trunk circuit network. In the figure, there are shown fax machines 11a-11d, public telecommunication networks 12a and 12b, exchanges such as PBXs 13a and 13b, fax mail apparatuses 14a and 14b, and a mail trunk circuit network 15 for connecting the fax mail apparatuses 14a and 14b with leased circuits.
Description is made on a case where a document is transmitted from a fax machine 11a to a remote fax machine 11c. When the telephone number of the originating fax mail apparatus 14a is dialed from the fax machine 11a, the public telecommunication network 12a and the exchange 13a connect the circuit between the fax machine 11a and the fax mail apparatus 14a. Then, a subscriber ID, a function code (for example, ordinary/individual transmission), and the telephone number of the fax machine at the destination are sequentially entered from the fax machine 11a. The fax mail apparatus 14a check to determine whether the entered subscriber ID and password agree with those registered. If agreement is not found, the mail fax apparatus 14a regards this as meaning that the originator is illegal and disconnects the circuit. If agreement is found, however, the fax mail apparatus 14a instructs the originator to transmit the document and temporarily stores it (fax mail information) in an internal memory once it has been transmitted by the originator. Then, the fax mail apparatus 14a automatically transmits the document (mail information) to the destination fax mail apparatus 14b through the trunk circuit network 15 of a leased circuit. The fax mail apparatus 14b temporarily stores the mail information in an internal memory, calls the destination fax machine 11c after all mail information have been received, and automatically transmits the mail information to the destination fax machine 11c through the exchange 13b and the public telecommunication network 12b.
As described above, the communication system of FIG. 19 can perform the fax transmission through a public-leased-public connection (public network-leased circuit-public network), and reduce the communication charge. For example, when the fax mail apparatuses 14a and 14b are installed at Tokyo and Sapporo, respectively, and connected by a leased circuit (mail trunk circuit network), new charge is for the public networks in the Tokyo and Sapporo areas so that the communication charge can be saved. The charge for the leased circuit is separately paid to a communication service provider.
Furthermore, the communication system of FIG. 19 can also reduce the band in the fax information trunk circuit network, and save the labor and time for distributing information through facsimile.
According to the store-and-forward method by the conventional fax mail apparatuses of FIGS. 17 and 19, delivery of the first page of document to the destination fax machine starts after entire document have been entered. FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating transmission of the n-th page of the document. After all pages are once transmitted from the originating fax machine to the fax mail apparatus, the fax mail apparatus sequentially transmits the document from the first page to the destination fax machine or the destination fax mail apparatus.
Thus, the store-and-forward method according to the conventional fax mail apparatus has a problem that it takes much time until the destination fax machine outputs the document, and, particularly, the more the number of pages of document is, the longer the time until the output of the document is.